Our series on gift giving continues with more personal reflections from members of the Department.

Ruth Salter, Lecturer in Medieval History

Ruth still appreciates the generosity of her parents, who gifted her a reindeer ornament in 1992.

‘When I was quite little, I think about 4 years old, I asked Father Christmas for a wooden reindeer. On opening my stocking that Christmas morning I unwrapped not a wooden but a metal reindeer ornament. It’s seen better days but I still have that reindeer and I still love it. (I also now know how hard my parents looked for a wooden reindeer, without luck, and I appreciate my little metal reindeer all the more.)’

Benjamin Bland, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow

Like many children, Ben was struck by the grandeur of dinosaurs. He recalls, in the late 1990s, playing with

‘an incredibly well made glove puppet velociraptor that I received when I was probably around six or seven. It’s what everyone’s always wanted, right?’

Abbie Tibbott, Research Student and Associate Lecturer

Abbie recalls receiving a Nintendo DS Lite as a preteen in the 2010s that sparked a love of video gaming.

‘It was the blue one, I also got a Wall-E game to go with it which I remember being so difficult for some reason [Editor’s Note: video games used to be so difficult! Kids have it easy these days.]. We didn’t have game consoles in the house apart from a PS2 that belonged to my mum that my dad had actually gifted her years back. If I ever wanted new technology like a phone or game, I was expected to use my own money, so getting this console was so special. I remember looking at it in the Argos catalogue fondly, but never expecting it. My parents were very generous with the gift and it really kickstarted my love of gaming.’

Jeremy Burchardt, Associate Professor in Rural History

As a teenager, Jeremy was given a copy of E. M. Forster’s Howard’s End. Jeremy has a particular love of gifts that mean something to the giver, noting that the most memorable occasions are

‘when someone gives me something (e.g. a book or music) that they personally find inspiring or compelling. One example was E M Forster’s Howard’s End which is possibly the most sane and balanced novel I’ve ever read. The older I’ve got, the more I’ve come to appreciate Forster’s quiet wisdom.’